Apparatus for straightening metal articles



May 12,

C; A. SELEY ET AL Filed Oct. '21-, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E 1 1 14 1; I I s Ifl ill .9 124 2,0 21

15 16' x (f) 11 17 mm Y C) .14 w 7 1'0 INVENTORS May 12, 192 5.

- c. A. sELEY ET AL APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING METAL ARTICLES 7 Filed Oct. 21, 1921 2 Sheets-$heet 2 lNvzNTbRs al a a. Al

Patented May 12, 1925..

UNITED STATES em -ear creme.

CHARLES A. sEL'EY, or SEWICKLEY, Ann MILO M. MCCALLISTER, on ERIE, rnnnsrn- VANLEA, ASSIGNOBS T AMERICAN FLEXIBLE BOLT CGMPANY, OF PITlEiBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS roe sTRA'IGHTENING METAL ARrIcLns.

Application filed October 21, 1921. Serial No. 509,368.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. SnLuY and MILO M. MCCALLISTER, bot-h citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Sewickley, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and DSGfHlIUlPlOVQ- ment in Apparatus for Straightening Metal Articles, of which the following is full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to apparatus for rolling metal articles of "various lengths and diameters for the purpose of straightening the said articles and removing surface irregularities therefrom.

Our invention employs "the principle of st 'aightening and smoothing the articles by rolling them between a plurality of surfacesso as to closely confine articles of different sizes within the straightening space defined by said surfaces. Means are provided for adjusting the surfaces relative to each other to accommodate articles of different diameters; and means are also provided whereby the articles may be readily introduced into "the straightening space and removed therefrom without "substantially changing the dimensions of the straighten ing space between the surfaces. Our invention preferably involves the use of a plurality of cylindrical members or rolls, one of which is adjustable with respect to the others. In the preferred embodiment of our invention, we also provide one of the cylinders with a longitudinal depression throi'i'gh which the article being rolled is introduced into "thestraigh'teni'ng space, and another one of said rolls is provided with a similar longitiid'inal depression through which the straightened article is discharged from the straightening space.

. Our invention will be better understood by reading the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of our invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a part of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the feeding position of the rolls;

Fig. 4 is a similar diagram showing the enterlng position of the rolls;

' Fig. '5 is a similar diagram showing rolling or straightening position of gears 9 and it) is a gearfll mounted on a power shaft 12, on one end of which is fixed a pulley 13. at 14.

The members '8 andfi are provided with guides These guides carry journal blocks 16, one of which is shown in Fig.2. The journal blocks 16 carry the roll 8 which '70 Q The shaft 19, is 'j ournaled v coop'erates with the rolls *6 and 7. [The blocks 16 are screw'threa-ded, and adjusting screws 17 are screwed into the blocks 16.

One end of each of the adjusting screws 17- is provided with a sprocket 18'over which a chain 19 runs and by which thetwo screws are operatively connected together. 7

The parts 1'6, 17 and 18 are provided for the purpose 'of adjusting the roll S'relative to the rolls 6 and 7, and for a reason wlric'l'i will appear later. f I I The roll (Sis provided with adepression 20, and the roll .7 is provided with a depression 21. -The depressions 20 and 21 run longitudinally of "the rolls and are for the purpose, respectively, of introducing and discharging articles to and from the rolling or straightening space. i

It is sometimes advisable to provide special rolls conforming generally to the outline of the article to be rolled for straightening or for other purposes. Fig. 7 shows the form of roll for use in rolling stay bolts having a reduced bod port ion joined to the heads by frusto-conical portions. I It will be understood that eachof the rolls 6, 7 and 8 will have the same general shape as the roll shown in'Fig. 7. In that event, the part 22 engages the reduced "body portion of the bolt, and the parts of the rolls engage the heads of the stay bolt, sothat all parts of the stay bolt come in direct contact with V the rolls during the rolling operation, whereprovided.

by the bolt is straightened and any slight surface irregularities are corrected or removed. V a

. A hopper or chute 2 carries the article to the straightening rolls. Guides 25 are also in connection with the form of roll shown in Fig. 7, since they insure the placing of the article in the proper posltion longitudinally of the rolls. The guides 25 are preferably converging as shown in Fig. 1, since this insures a properpositioning of the article to be straightened even though the operator. drops the article onto; the chute 24L with no more care than is usual in rapid production. It is only necessary for the operator to drop the articles on the. chute 24, from which they will be carried by gravity against the roll 6 and thereafter carried to the straightening position at the pro-per moment. I

Theoperation of our deviceis as follows Power is applied to the pulley 13 and is transmitted to the rolls 6 and 7 through gears 9 andlO. This causes the rolls 6 and 7 to rotate in the same angular direction, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 3. The-roll 6 is provided with a groove 20, and as the roll rotates, the groove 20 permits the article A to pass between the bottom of the groove and the circumference of the roll 8 and into the straightening space X, as shown in Fig. 4. When the rolls reach the position shown in Fig. 5, the article A has dropped into contact with the circumferences of the rolls 7 and 8, and as the roll 6 continues to rotate, the circumference of that roll also engages, the exterior of the article and the same is rolled between the surfaces of the rolls 6, 7, and 8 until the groove 21 in the roll 7 comes to substantially a the position shown in Fig. 6, whereupon the straightened article is discharged from the straightening space- It will be noted that the article is introduced intothe straightening space, is rolled therein and straightened,

and discharged from the space automatically and without necessitating a change of the axes of rotation of the rolls relative to each other. v

In Fig. 5, the roll 8 hasbeen adjusted toa position indicated by the dotted lines Z,

' and an article A of considerably greater diameter than'the article A is to be treated.

. The operation is the same, regardless of the diameter of the article being'straightened, the position of the roll 8 being determined by the proper manipulation of the adjusting :screws 17. r

I It will benoted that the generating radius 'ofthe grooves'20' and 21; is equal to the radius of the largest article to be treated These guides are of importance with any given set of rolls. This is for the purpose of permitting the articles to pass between the bottom of the depression and the circumference of the adjustable roll 8. It will also be noted that the grooves 20 and 9.1 are so related one to theother that when the article is introduced into the straightening space through the groove 20, the groove 21 is in such a position that the article will not enter the groove 21 until the rolls have made substantially a complete revolution. This arrangement affords the advantage of supplying only one article to the straightening space at a time, and of positively discharging one'articlebefore another enters the space. By this arrangement, the maximum rolling effect is given to the article being rolled, so as to insure the success of the process. By the arrangement shown,-

the article is given several revolutions during one revolution of the rolls; and the direction of rotation of the rolls 6 and 7 is such asto prevent the article remaining in v the depression 20 after the rollreaches subcally discharged therefrom before another v may be introduced.

Many changesmay of our invention without departing from the spirit thereof. We claim: 1

The machine is composed of be made in the details V 1. In a machine for straightening metal articles, the combination of a frame, a plurality of rolls mounted in said frame, means for introducing an article between said rolls with its axis substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls, said means being adapted to position the article against one of said rolls, and also including a depression" in said rolls into whichthearticle passes from said introducing means, and means for adjusting said rolls relative to each other for straightening articles ofdifierent sizes,substantially as described. r r I 2. A machine for straightening metal articles having a varying circular cross-secto be straightened, said rolls being adapted to simultaneously rotate in contact with the article, means for introducing the article to tion, comprising a plurality of rolls of varymg cross-section to correspondto the article I the rolls With its axis substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls, and guide means for positioning the article longitudinally of the rolls substantially as described.

3. A machine for straightening metal articles having a varying circular cross-section, comprising a plurality of rolls of Varying cross-section to correspond to the article to be straightened, said rolls being adapted to simultaneously rotate in contact With the article, means for introducing the article to the rolls with its axis substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls, and converging guide means for positioning the article longitudinally of the rolls, substantially as described. 4. A machine for straightening metal articles having a var ing circular cross=section, comprising a p urality of rolls of varying cross-section to correspond to the article to be straightened, said rolls being adapted to simultaneously rotate in contact With the article, meansincluding an inclined chute for introducing the article to the rolls With its axis substantially parallel to the axes of the rolls and converging guide means for rolls, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, We have hereunt set our hands.

CHARLES A. SELEY. MILO M. MQOALLISTER. 

